The Silver Flower: Chapter Two

Mary gasped, and her hand gently reached out
and touched the beautiful thing.

“It be so pretty.” She
said, her eyes shining. “Where did Old Elliot get it?” Justin’s eyes smiled at
her.

“He got it from an elf.
I dinnae ken which elf, fer their be quite a lot.” He said. Mary smiled.

“I’d like to meet the
elf tha’ made this. Maybe if I became its friend, it’d make me one.” She said,
fingering the delicate artwork. Justin smiled.

“Well, we may, we just
may, meet the elf tha’ made it. But we need to get started findin’ the elf,
before it be too late. Remember, this is a warnin’ note. Shetta Gloriheem,
whoever that be, be in great danger until we let it know it’s in trouble.” He
walked towards the door.

“Where do we start?”
Duncan asked. Justin stopped and turned around.

“I dinnae ken. Where do
ye think we ought to start, Mary.” He directed his question at his younger
sibling. She thought for a moment.

“I ken tha’ elves like
rings of stones, so why don’t we make a ring of stones, deep in the forest, and
sit in the middle to wait fer the Magical Folk to find us. They willye ken, they’ve eyes everywhere.” She said
all this quickly, unlike her usual behavior, and her brothers listened
carefully. “Also, we mustn’t, under any circumstance, fall asleep inside the circle,
if we do, then the elves will kidnap us and bring us into their own land, they
dinnae like children to meddle w’ things they consider sacred, and we be
children.”

After this the three
children secured permission to explore the wood behind their house, and they
quickly found the much needed clearing. It was more difficult to find all the
stones they needed, but they busily searched for them until the circle was
complete except for one stones worth. As much as they searched, they could not
find another stone. Suddenly, Duncan put his hand in his pocket and pulled out
the stone he had found in his shoe. It fit perfectly. The children sat down
inside the middle of the ring of stones and waited in silence.

Darkness came and they
all felt sleepy. Mary kept the boys awake by pinching them every once in a
while.

The silence was
suddenly broken by a multitude of tiny voices. All three were instantly wide
awake, adrenaline surging through their veins. The voices came closer, and soon
the children realized that they were surrounded. Small torches were lit, and
they began to be able to see the host of Magical Folk in front of them. Their
spokesmen came forward, an elf man of at least six feet. He held a sword in one
hand, and a shield in the other. He spoke to the children, his voice strong and
brave.

“What are you doing in
our wood, inside a sacred stone circle?” he asked in their language. Justin
cleared his throat and looked at his sister. Mary stepped forward very
carefully.

“Be any of you Glevanne
Addets?” she asked quietly, her soft words flowing over the multitude. There
was a session of whispering. The spokesman, after discussing a while, looked up
at the children, his harsh voice softer.

“Glevanne is not with
us at this moment, but he is one of us. How came you to know him?” He asked,
his voice filled with honest curiosity. Mary was careful in her reply.

“We have only just
heard of him.” She said. “We came here to look for him. I beg yer pardon fer
not warnin’ ye, but we need to speak
to this Glevanne Addets.” She spoke with a desperate earnestness as her eyes swept
over the Magical Folk. Elves are not hard hearted, and they never like to see
someone cry. Mary’s desperateness touched their hearts, so the spokesman went
up to her gently, his hand rested on her knee.

“We know you are
frustrated, why don’t you come to our kingdom and rest until Glevanne can meet
you in private?” he asked, his tender eyes meeting Mary’s. A small smile of
hope appeared on her face, and all the elves smiled as she did. Slowly arising
to her feet, she allowed the spokesman to show them the way. They let the rest
of the Magical Folk get a head start.

Soon, the elfish
kingdom came into view. The sight of its beauty made all three children stop in
awe. The spokesman assured them it was quite safe, and they took his word for
it.

He looked at them
approvingly, and beckoned them to follow him. He informed them that his name
was Valkin Tredhale, and he was one of the king’s messengers. Justin walked
next to him on one side, Mary on the other, and Duncan followed, warily
scanning the crowd of elves following them. Valkin noticed his uneasiness.

“What did he say?” he
asked in a loud whisper, forgetting that Valkin understood their language. Mary
thought for a moment, her mind translating the elfin speech into something her
brother would understand.

“Very roughly
translated, he said something like this: ‘Back! Back! These are outsiders who
want to visit Glevanne Addets!” She said, after a pause. Their guide looked at
her in surprise.

“You know the language
of our people?” he asked. Mary blushed

“Only a very wee bit,”
She said honestly. “I was taught by an old man in our village that kenned yer
people.” Valkin frowned slightly as they continued their journey up to the
large castle. He turned suddenly to Mary.

“Do you know the
meaning of my name?” he asked. Mary thought for a while, her lip between her teeth.

“Doon’t it mean
somethin’ like Finch Moor?” she said after much consideration. Valkin looked at
her, gazing deep into her eyes.

“Yes, it does. My name
in your language would be that.” He removed his gaze and looked into the sky.
“Your knowledge of our people is great. Who taught you these things?” Mary
looked over her shoulder at Duncan, who gave a slight shake of his head.

“I would prefer not to
say.” She said slowly. Valkin looked sharply at her again. Duncan, being at the
back, was quiet through all of this, himself deep in thought. Hearing the name
of their guide in his own language reminded him of something. If only he could
remember what. It came to him at last, during one of the random days at Old
Elliot’s house, they were talking about the Magical Folk, and the old man
mentioned how their name system worked! He had remembered. Excitedly, he tapped
Valkin’s shoulder. The guide turned.

“Aye! It be like this:
First names of boys be either the names o’ trees, the names o’ water, or the
names o’ birds. First names of girls be either the names o’ flowers, animals or
berries. Last names are land formations like mountains or valleys. Am I right?”
He said all of this in a rush, to get it out before he forgot again. Valkin
listened silently as Duncan’s words came out in a tumbled fashion. These humans
were like none other he had ever watched. It made him feel glad that some of
their kind still cared enough to teach the younger generation about his people.
After Duncan’s flow of words stopped with his breathless question, Valkin
smiled.

“Yes, you are right.”
He replied, and continued leading the three children up to the castle, himself
still puzzling over the children’s knowledge of the Magical Folk.

They at last reached
the massive gate of the castle. Valkin walked up to it fearlessly and slapped
it with the flat of his hand as hard as he could. Justin, Duncan, and Mary
winced as the sound vibrated through the castle.

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Hi, I'm Rebekah Eddy. Welcome to my blog. Let me tell you a little about myself...I'm a Christian, homeschooled young lady, and the daughter of the senior pastor of Manchester Community Church. I come from a family of twelve people, yes that means I have nine siblings, and yes I love them all! :) I love music, writing (duh), and reading as well as having a hobby of making jewelry. I am a sinner, saved by grace. My passion is to follow my Savior, Jesus Christ, with all my heart, soul, and mind. All my writing is to His glory. God bless! :D